t i t a n i c
b y f a b i a n a p a r r a
Summary: Claire is forced to watch the 1997 hit movie Titanic and cries for an entirely different reason. Oneshot. [Implied ClairexSteve and ClairexLeon]
Author Notes: Okay, so never in my live I would have thought that I would end up writing something for Resident Evil, really. But I found my way into this amazing fandom while playing the Darkside Chronicles on my Wii a while ago, and I have to say that I fell in love with Steve and Claire and cried when I reached the dramatic end. I almost ate the whole StevexClaire section after that, until I stumbled with the "The Same Poisoned Tree" by xDeadpan. Amazingly written and awesome plot but it alsome made me realize that Steve is better left off dead: his death meant something (like Aeris in FF7) important to Claire and I felt like writing about it. Anddd the idea about the Titanic was because Steve looked just like Leonardo DiCaprio in his CODE: Veronica design! Well, um... hope you all like it and leave some reviews! And sorry for the grammar beforehand.
Disclaimer: Resident Evil is property of Capcom.
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She had to admit, she didn't know why she was sitting in the middle of her living room with a bowl full of popcorn. She only remembered having agreed to have the guys over for some quality time.
It had been months after everything had reached its end and although she was still paranoid, it was time to move on with her life. Umbrella was gone and the world was regaining its peace, little by little. It was a weird process, really—who would have thought she would grow so accustomed to zombies and running away from everything she had know? She dropped out from college because of that madness and grew some white hairs from worrying over her older brother, Chris. Now, she had been more or less forced to live a normal life, following the example of her friends who had gone through the same traumatic experiences as hers.
Living in the upbeat center of New York in a –and she had to say it—pretty good apartment, trying to give her best to the affected community of Umbrella's treachery. At first, Chris and Leon had been totally opposed to it, saying it was time to let go and forget Umbrella and it's doing; but for Claire giving back to all of those people in suffering had a much more deep meaning. A meaning she was not yet ready to share with anyone, even after all those years…
Who said time healed all wounds?
Rebecca Chambers barged in after raiding the kitchen. It seemed she was trying to fetch as much snacks as she could from the refrigerator: her arms were battling one another to not let them fall. Claire gave her a gentle smile while she took a seat in the opposite couch, almost throwing all the food in the floor.
"What's happening back there?" the red-head asked, giving Rebecca a curious look.
"Chris is fighting with Jill over the movie. He says he doesn't want to see it." The brunette shrugged. "It's pretty old, yeah. But I was dying to see it when it got out! It's ironic we had to wait… what, almost ten years?"
Rebecca laughed cheerfully, as always. It was hard to believe it had been so long. Age really hadn't gotten to Rebecca, as she stayed as young as ever… but perhaps that was because she was the youngest of the group and everyone thought of her as a little sister of the sorts.
"Chris, c'mon. Just… save your argument until we see the end of it, alright? You will then see what I'm talking about." Jill Valentine slammed the door of the kitchen open and sat besides Rebecca, followed by a grumpy Chris Redfield.
"Alright. But, where's Leon? If I'm going to endure… this, this torture, he better be here too." Chris grumbled, taking a seat besides Jill and crossing his arms over his chest.
"He should be here any minute actua—" Claire began.
Ding. Dong.
"Oh. That must be him"
She got up and placed the popcorn bowl aside, crossing the living room and getting to the door. There was a mirror right by it and so she took care of some stray hairs that were obscuring her face, she smiled to herself and then opened the door.
Leon S. Kennedy stood quietly, almost brooding until the door was opened. Then he gave a smile—a smile so little that only Claire could see.
"What took you so long? Chris thought you were bailing on him, Leon." She stepped aside, and it was only after he entered and took of his jacked that he answered.
"I was doing some last minute shopping, actually." Then Claire noticed that he was actually carrying something. It was a bag from a supermarket and then Rebecca exploded.
"Oh, you actually brought the chips!" She almost yelled and ran to get them, "I will put it in a bowl right now. Thanks, Leon!" she took a breath, "Claire, do you have any bowls left?"
"Well, considering if there is any of my kitchen left, yes. Top right shelf." She watched Rebecca go and then sat back on her spot in front of the TV, but this time Leon was besides her.
Chris seemed more relaxed now that Leon was there, and he was leaning on Jill while Rebecca came back and set up the DVD. No one knew how she managed to get a DVD edition of a movie that old, but no one asked: the guys just wanted to get over with it and the girls were eager to watch the dramatic hit. Well… "the girls" as in Jill and Rebecca, because Claire was absent-minded for about the first half hour of the film. She just was too comfortable resting her head against Leon and just… relaxing for the first time in weeks. The atmosphere in the room was certainly different from the other 'meetings' they had in the past: there wasn't any zombies lurking nearby while they had to plan something to run away from death.
However, after the first hour of the film everyone was sleeping. Everyone, except her. Rebecca dozed off with still a bowl of chips to go, Chris and Jill had cuddled and fallen asleep on each other and Leon had his head back on the couch while having an arm around her. She smiled inwardly at the scene of everyone resting. Really, they all needed it. She was a little curious about what was going on the screen before joining everyone in their sleep over, and when she did actually glance at the TV her heart stopped.
Suddenly, there was no Leon holding her or Jill, Chris and Rebecca dozing off on the other couch. It was just her and the image of a young boy in the big flat TV. A young boy crazy in love which resembled someone so much that it was ridiculous. She couldn't help it and so she tried to tear her eyes apart from the screen, but it was useless; she simply couldn't deny it any longer.
He looked like Steve Burnside.
He was a young man that she met under precarious circumstances—like almost everyone in her life—but, there was something different about him. He didn't care about the chaos, the apocalypse going around them when they met. He was a kid still and so was she and their run to get out of that damned island was really memorable. Not just because Steve had a charm that was impossible to resist or not laugh at. He tried to –so hard—impress Claire that it was adorable. He was all smiles and jokes. A pleasant ray of sun, that's what he was, in all that darkness that was Claire's life at the moment.
She didn't know how he did it, though, as he also had darkness inside of him and it hit him in the face while they tried to escape. Steve's father had also been imprisoned with him, but fate got to him quicker than expected and Steve had to put an end to him, his own blood… to save her. After that she saw a glimpse of what he really was, a lost child and they both stayed in that room until he stopped crying while she held him and tried to soothe him. She felt responsible.
If anything couldn't get worse, at the end they fell into the sick game of Alexia Ashford and Steve paid the price. The highest of prices.
She still remembers how cold his body felt under her touch. He had managed to fight the T-Veronica, something she couldn't believe was possible. He was driven by something really strong, something Claire never got to decipher. God, she also still remembered his charming young face in an expression of pain, almost whispering his last words to her in a voice that was just a trace of what Steve Burnside was hours ago.
"I'm glad that I met you… I… I love you, Claire."
That was the last time he saw his green eyes. That was the end of Steve Burnside and it was all her fault. She didn't even process what he said to her, thinking it was just mere senseless mumbling, but after she realized he was gone, it hit her hard, really hard.
Of all the things he could've said, he chooses to blurt those words. She didn't get to think about it, his death was just too traumatic to dwell on it. Hell, she couldn't even bury him properly, not after Wesker took his body away.
Steve became Claire's drive to get back at him, even if to get his body and do him honors. Yes, they had gotten rid of Wesker, but she never got a clue of Steve and she was afraid that he was disposed as any of Wesker's lab experiments.
Maybe she had a small hope inside of her that she could bring him back. Perhaps he even could've helped them to get rid of Umbrella, avenge his father and get a new life, perhaps with her at her side…
Why? Why now, when she was over…over everything. She was starting a new life, she couldn't bear with the thought of Steve again, haunting her mind and making her think of a lost love. She was a fool… she couldn't help him and thus…she was a murderer.
Claire didn't realize that the credits were already rolling when tears began streaming down her cheeks. She shook her head, she had to stop crying. If someone saw her like this, then—
"Claire?" Leon's blue eyes were staring right back at hers. He was fully awake now and looking over her worriedly. "Are you all right?"
"Oh, Leon…" she sniffled pathetically, rubbing her hand against her swollen eyes. God, for how long have she been crying like an idiot? And what she was going to say to Leon, anyways?
"She probably got all teary eyed because of the movie." Rebecca yawned, stretching and hitting Chris on the head while doing so.
"Ouch! What, what?" he said sleepily and then glanced at the screen, "It's over already? Wow, that was quicker than I thought." He noticed Claire, "Hey, hey… what happened?"
Everyone was staring at her, even Jill who was just waking up. It was her chance, she could tell everyone what was going on or she just could… do nothing. Seal the wound by herself. Leon was holding her now, his hands firms on hers, like a lock. He was worried and she couldn't do that to him, especially after everything they had gone through together. He was really special to her.
She made her decision.
"Oh, it's nothing." She sniffled again, giving the best of her smiles and leaning against Leon again, "It's just… this movie is so heartbreaking!" She wasn't lying, at least.
There was a small gap of silence until Chris laughed and everyone followed.
"Really, Claire? Who would have thought the though-girl Redfield would be such a softie." He joked while choking in his own laughter.
"You got me worried for a second" Leon replied softly against her hair, lying back on the sofa again.
"Well, I guess we won't be watching any romance drama anytime soon." Rebecca commented while fumbling with other movies in Claire's stack. "Oh! Who's up for some gory violence?"
"Rebecca!" Jill protested, not really too eager to watch the newest zombie movie.
"C'mon, Jill. You already made me watch that crap; you'll now have to deal with this movie." Chris fought back, siding with Rebecca.
Claire watched the scene before her unfold with a smile, the voices eventually drifting and just her thoughts remaining: Steve… he was gone now, but he was the reason she was trying to help everyone. It was her way of paying back all the things he did for her. She never got to tell him how she felt, too, but now she doesn't remember as that was long ago. It wasn't deep love as they only got to share a day together, but it was certainly something special and she wouldn't try to suppress it anymore. She didn't have too, she already did everything she could to avenge him.
"Hey…" Leon was staring at her again, "You really are alright?"
"Yes" she assured and then smiled brightly, leaning in and resting in his chest "After all these years, I am."
They all stayed up late watching other films, but all Claire knew was that she was going to get rid of that Titanic copy in the morning. Not because she wanted to forget Steve, but because it was pretty sappy anyways. Steve would've though the same for sure.